Dear reader,

Andariya was invited to attend the Nile Basin Seed Forum taking place in Aswan in March 2016. The Nile Basin Seed Forum will bring together a diverse set of cultural, academic and civil society actors from the 11 riparian countries; Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda- to discuss multi-faceted trans-boundary issues related to the Nile and its sustainability.

We are thrilled to be represented by our community members; Dalia Haj-Omer, Deng Aling, Mohamed AlToum and Omnia Shawkat who will participate in the Forum and project its results and lessons to our wider community over the next months. Mohamed AlToum will also represent #MyKhartoum – so expect beautiful photos all the way from Aswan.

We will be sharing live updates on our website and social media pages, so you can join the discussion!

 Image Credit: Naj Suhayl Gharb on Wikimedia 

The below excerpt summarizes the Nile Basin Seed Forum objectives;

Currently there is no independent space or platform in the Nile region that allows conversations to emerge on a civic level. Hence, this call to civil society multipliers for the Seed Camp to give birth to a civil society platform; “The Nile Forum”. Civic engagement is at the heart of sustainable trans-boundary cooperation in the region because it allows alternative means of interaction on societal and grassroot levels to emerge within the complexity of the Nile Basin reality. The Civil Society in the region has the potential to transform the Nile from being regarded solely as a source of water, food and energy into being a source of collaboration, unity and celebration of humanity & planet earth.

The intention of the seed camp to create the foundation for the Nile Forum platform; its activities, its potential impact, opportunities, establishment etc. The camp brings together more than 30 participants from the Nile basin and other parts of the world; they are invited to the camp representing NGOs, academia, researchers, communities, active citizens, network organizations, CSOs and individuals interested in trans-boundary collaboration in the region. The ultimate aim of the seed camp – and later the forum – is to create a culture of peace in the Nile Basin by creating spaces for interaction and collaboration among civil society in the region. The Nile Forum is envisioned to be a virtual and physical platform for sharing, learning and co-creation of activities that create a new Nile Basin story. The intention of the seed camp to create the foundation for the Nile Forum platform; its activities, its potential impact, opportunities, establishment etc

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To learn more about the Nile Basin Seed Forum, visit their website.

Sincerely,

S+O